Rejection Of The Precious
by Mizz-Madam
Summary: When divorced by his wife, Goku lived normally until he got a call that would change his life. After 8 years of no contact he found out that his late wife had left something for him in her will. But how could he raise a child with the androids on the way?
1. Prologue

**Rejection of the precious**

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**Prologue   
**

She slapped her lover's face, a hollow sound echoing throughout the rooms of the small house. His face fell slant wards and a red hand mark was present on his tanned cheek. Holding her silky hand, she rubbed her fingers tenderly, a twinge of pain glistening in her dark and heavy eyes. Tears slid down her pale complexion and she looked up from the ground to her husband. The man's usually warm and carefree feeling in his orbs was long gone. She could no longer find any solitude in those eyes; for they only filled her with sorrow.

"Goku," she began in a gentle, yet trembling tone. "I c-can't do …this. No. Not anymore."

Her partner, the one she vowed to always love, nodded numbly.

"You're always gone," she then pointed out. "You're either training or fishing, and I feel like I'm withering slowly and alone under this depression."

"Chi-chi…" Goku muttered her name under his breath softly. He then went to take her hand, but she pulled it back viciously like he was poison. "I love you," he eventually confessed, still using a hushed tone. "I don't know what I would do without you. In the short time we've been married I've felt this bond between us grow stronger and stronger. I could never love anyone or anything as much as I care for you. Please Chi…"

Her eyes darted back down to the floor like magnets. "I wish…" Finding enough courage to let go of her pride, she let another droplet trek down her skin. "I wish that I could believe you, Goku. I wish we could forget about this night and begin again. I wish that I could see myself with you for years to come. But even these wishes aren't able to be granted by the Dragonballs, Goku. These wishes are just little specks of hope, specks that will never be reality."

"Please, I can-"

"You can what, Goku? You can change?" a sadistic laugh escaped her rosy lips. "If I had a zennie for every time someone said that to me…" She sighed quietly. "I've had plenty of guys interested, but I turned them all down. Because I knew you, Goku, had promised your heart to me. But that was only because you had misunderstood what I had said, and was idiotic enough to think marriage was some kind of food! My heart shattered that day. The day you told me that you hadn't really proposed to me."

"But," he protested, his voice desperate. "But then, on that stage in front of everyone, I did propose to you, for real. And then you said yes! We were soon married and moved to this cosy house your father had built for us."

"Yes," Chi-chi agreed. "I love you, Goku, I honestly do. In the four months we have been together I can honestly say I've never felt so protected. But if you love me as much as I love you then you'd let me go." She then gracefully took his hands and stared up into the man's empty, hurting eyes. "Let me go, Goku. Let me go…"

The young man swallowed the lump at the back of his throat. He went to speak but only a stuttering noise was released. He then went to nod but only a tear fell. His face scrunched up as more salty drippings slipped from his orbs, powerful hands unconsciously squeezing her fragile ones tighter.

Leaning up on the tips of her toes, Chi-chi pressed her lips against his. Knowing he found satisfaction in the sweet kiss, she deepened it. She began to slide her fingers out of his slowly and elegantly, before wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lover's own arms were around her slim waist. Eventually, she pulled back gently and wiped away the remains of his tears.

"Thank you…" she whispered caringly. "There will be a part of me that will always love you."

He stayed silent, and embraced her for what to him seemed a fleeting moment. When she pulled away, he realised there was no point in her wiping his cheeks dry. But when she left, he was glad she did, for he would never feel those delicate fingers caress his skin again.

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**This isn't really a G/CC, but I needed to start the story with the couple. I was kind of worried when I did this chapter too, I've never done romance before. This story is about Gohan, then followed by Goku. If I could have a third character I would pick Chi-Chi, but I can't so hey. But if anybody knows me then they would know I wouldn't really write about any other character other than Gohan. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews so far on 'A Hero's Time Warp', I'm surprised how popular it's become. I just hope this story is just as popular!  
**

** Danni  
**


	2. The Call

**Rejection of the precious **

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**Chapter O****ne – The Call**

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_**Eight years later…**_

He practically collapsed on the bed, savouring every moment he rested his head on the heavenly pillow. Small, yet heavy pants parted from his lips and beads of sweat ran down from his forehead to his neck. Trickles of blood fell into his agape mouth, causing him to splutter out a dry cough every so often. Luckily enough, none of the red liquid dyed his blank bed sheets a crimson colour. It took him weeks to get the stain out last time.

The man sighed. Day after day he had the same routine; train, eat, sleep and train some more. As much as he loved fighting and martial arts, he hated the aftermath of it. Bruises and blood was what he was used to seeing in the mirror nowadays, but that was expected. With the androids on the way he had to train as much and as hard as he could. It was only last week that the boy, Trunks had come to warn of the terrible future that could occur.

Eventually and reluctantly Goku sat up, groaning as he did so. He then moved unenthusiastically to the kitchen, meeting only the mess he had left there the night before. He groaned again, only this time a lot louder.

"Darn it," he growled, slapping his forehead. "I knew I forgot something! I guess I won't be training with Piccolo tomorrow… Stupid mess…"

Instead of making any dinner, or even cleaning up the pile dishes stacked up on the floor, he made his way to the front room. The temptation of taking up a seat on the scruffy sofa was maddening, so he followed his instincts and threw himself into a comfy position; legs on table, head secure on a fluffy pillow and the remote in his left hand. And when he sighed this time, he had a smile on his face.

Clicking through the channels, he felt his eyelids become heavy. Today's training proved to be exhausting. Piccolo was at the top of his game and confirmed to be the victor of the battle. Goku pushed the loss aside as the Namek's luck, although he had his doubts. Ever since Trunks had told him of the heart virus, instead of being extra enthusiastic and determined, he had become rather sorrowful and quite lazy.

"Today's weather broadcast has been brought to you by-"

Click.

"Get Hercule's training methods at only 19.95-"

Click.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. I love another, I slept with-"

Click.

"On today's exciting episode of Dra-"

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

Goku rolled his eyes. Just his luck. It was odd actually, he never got phone calls and, when he did, they always interrupted him at the wrong time. So, with aching bones, he sat up and reached for the phone, scowling as he did so.

"Hello?" he greeted, trying to put on the most enthusiastic tone he could manage.

"Mr. Son?" came a man's voice from the other side.

"Uh, yes, that's me."

"My name is Mr. Joushi and I work for FF. Corporation. I am here to inform you of your wife's passing. She died two days ago in-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! My wife? I haven't been married in over seven years! I'm sorry but you must have made a mistake."

"Well, Mr. Son, your name is here, black and white, in her will." He replied blankly. "Her name was Chi-Chi Son, am I correct?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Goku speedily stood up, nearly yanking the phone out of its socket.

"I don't kid, Mr. Son. I think it is important that you come down to Orange Star city to discuss the terms which are going to occur. If you do not arrive in the next hour then your name will be scratched from the will, terminating whatever she has left for you. I suggest you hurry."

"W-what?!" he gasped, "You've _seriously_got to be kidding me! I don't even know where to go or-"

"We are three streets away from the City hall. The building has FF. Corp. written alongside it. Like I said, Mr. Son; hurry."

"But I don't know where the City hall is!"

"Goodbye, Mr. Son."

With that the phone went dead, disbelief making him speechless. When he did move, about ten minutes later, he grabbed a Zensu bean and the nearest jacket, making a run for the door. When he left the house he realized the darkness had engulfed the sun, turning it to night.

He then stared up into the sky filled with dots of light, making up the stars. A frown slid onto his face. "Just what happened?" he whispered solemnly to the shinning speckles, seeing the sparkling image of his late wife in his mind. He knew the relationship ended years ago, but that tiny piece of her still made his world light up. And now that she was gone, so was that little memory he held so dear. "What happened… to you?" he added just as softly. As if the heavens were replying, the biggest of the stars twinkled, like the picture he had just imagined.

Tearing his eyes away from the navy coloured sky, he took off into the chilly breeze. His life had been crazy lately, so surprisingly, this wasn't too shocking. It started when he fought against his brother; Raditz. Raditz was probably one of the toughest experiences that had occurred, after Vegeta of course. Raditz threatened to kill the whole gang unless he joined him on his quest through space, destroying anyone who stood in their way. Luckily enough, Piccolo was there and leant a helping hand. They won, at the loss of his own life. But he was wished back to life a year later to fight against Nappa and Vegeta.

They won that fight too, this time there were four cons to the battle. Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Piccolo had all lost their lives against the two vicious Saiyans. Yamcha fell at the hands of the Saibamen first, being trapped by the arms of one of the little green monsters. Chiaotzu was the second to fall victim, sacrificing himself for the team. Unfortunately the sacrifice was for nothing, as Nappa survived the suicidal attack. Tien then passed into the next dimension after giving it his all, even after the loss of an arm! Piccolo also lost his life against Nappa, just before he had shown up from Otherworld.

The battle between him and Vegeta proved to be a violent and (almost) tied one. Krillin seemed to be pretty useful towards the fight surprisingly enough, and helped bring the victory home. He was lucky that he had an extra Zensu bean left when he did. The magical bean restored all his health and gave him the power to send Vegeta on his way. Krillin was gob-smacked when he let the Saiyan prince escape. But he explained how they were better than the space pirate by showing mercy.

Next was the fight against Frieza. Krillin and Bulma were the first that went to Namek and met Dende, a young Namek that was being attacked by Frieza and his men. Vegeta was discovered to have arrived there, so Krillin told him. But soon enough he made his own way to Namek and met the prince himself. They didn't fight, luckily enough, that would cause bigger problems. After fighting the Ginyu force they gathered some of the dragonballs and made two wishes. The first was to wish Piccolo back, by his request. If his memory served correctly, Piccolo had mentioned with his return Kami would also come back, thus so would the Earth dragonballs.

Piccolo returned with a bang, but he wasn't strong enough to take out Frieza. Neither was Vegeta, this proved truthful as he perished under the tyrant's rage. Not long after, he challenged the evil being to a fight. He won, of course. But the planet Namek didn't make it through the fight. Fortunately all of the residents were safe on Earth thanks to another wish that was made. He returned a few months after travelling to a distant planet called Yardrat. He picked up some nifty moves there, such as Instant transmission. He was also more than happy when he found out that everybody was wished back to life, even if Vegeta wasn't one of his favourite people.

And then, when he did return, he was introduced to another problem. Trunks, a boy from the future, had warned them of a threat which was going to occur in the near future. The only amusing part was when the young super Saiyan, had told him who his father was. He burst out laughing when Trunks told him of how Vegeta and Bulma came to be. Boy was everybody in for a surprise.

And that's where it left him now. He was on his way to someplace to meet some guy about something he had no idea about. Knowing him, it was probably something that would change his life completely.

He just didn't know how right he was.

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**Well, that's the whole explaining thing out of the way! Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favs! If I haven't replied to you in reviews then I'm sorry, I will make sure to catch you next time. Also, sorry about the wait, and sorry about the wait on the other story. I will have the next chapter out for the next story soon. If there is something like spelling errors just tell me, I'll be more than happy to sort them out! **

**Danni**


	3. Inside Room 11

**Rejection of the precious**

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**Chapter two – Inside room 11**

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Goku arrived at FF. Corporation about ten minutes ago and was immediately shown to the waiting room. The young receptionist guided him there and provided him with a magazine to occupy the time. Unfortunately the magazine was older than he was. But he wasn't going to read it anyway; there were far more important things to think about.

FF. Corporation was probably bigger then any building that he had ever been in. It out-sized Capsule corp. by miles. Inside and outside was all modern, clean and well designed, like any working environment. He didn't like being there though, the atmosphere was cold and the workers weren't all that friendly. The room he was in was filled with random city people; from an old lady to a well muscled man, much like himself.

They all stared at him with the oddest gaze. A few turned pale, others green. It was then that Goku realized his current appearance. Blood still trickled down his chin and a black eye was beginning to surface. Under his coat was a sore body, no doubt about it, but he never started to feel any pain until he sat down. That was probably because he was starting to calm down now. Since the call his brain had gone into overload, stressing him out and pushing all pain aside completely.

He chuckled nervously and quickly apologized to the people in the room about his injuries. Just like nothing was the matter, he pulled a green bean from his pocket, and showed it to the crowd. "See," he began, "no problem! A Zensu bean!" Then he popped it into his mouth, chewed and eventually swallowed. Suddenly, as if by magic, all of the bruises, cuts and blood vanished before their eyes.

"May not taste like the nicest thing but it sure does it job!" He then laughed, but soon stopped when he realized he was laughing alone. "Er, tough crowd…"

"_Will Mr. Son please come through now, thank you." _

Upon hearing his name on the speakers, Goku grinned. "Guess that's me!"

He then took a deep breath and walked out the door, leaving the small, gawking group in the waiting room. The Saiyan made his way up to the room of different doors and looked for room 11, as instructed by the receptionist.

Goku passed many doors, counting each one gone. "Number six, number seven, eight… nine over there, ten and…" It was a dead end. No more doors. He turned white, whiter than white. All he had to do was calm down… Breathe in and out. In, out. But he didn't like that method. So instead; he panicked. "Where is it!?" a raged yell left his lips, "Argh! No, where is it?!"

He looked left, then right and even behind, but no number 11. The thin corridor, wallpapered a pink colour, didn't show what he wanted, only a pair of windy stairs. "Where is number 11?! Where has it gone! It's not there! Not there I say!"

As he continued his frenzy of screams, yells and complete and utter nonsense, he felt a small tugging on his jacket sleeve. Turning down with angered eyes, he growled. But once seeing what grasped his attention, he softened his gaze.

"N-number 11 is up the stairs, mister." A young girl, probably no older then eight, told him. "I'm not allowed up there, that's where grownups can only go. But I saw a boy go up there a while ago."

Goku blinked, and blinked again, before smiling a toothy grin. Soft, jade eyes met with his own. "Thanks, kid." He then ruffled her short blonde hair and took off to his destination.

"My name's…" but, before she could even finish, he was gone. "-Erasa…"

It was there; number 11. He was shaking, he hadn't been this nervous since… well since ever. He could hear Vegeta's words echoing throughout his head; _A Saiyan… Shaking? You're a disgrace Kakkorot! Grow a back bone! _As much as he didn't like the sound of Vegeta's snarling, he had to agree, he was acting pretty stupid. This was only a little meeting, and he hadn't been married in years, so what did this matter to him? Nothing! ...Right?

So, with one last drawn breath, he entered. The first thing that caught his eye was a large desk in the centre of the room. Sitting behind the desk, in a leather chair, was a man. The man was somewhat into his mid thirties and watched him with a blank stare. Eventually he smiled and stood up and held out a hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Son." He nodded to Goku once the Saiyan had accepted his handshake. "I'm Mr. Joushi; we spoke on the phone earlier. I'm glad to see you had found your way to FF. Corporation. We are only working until eight tonight so we had to rush things, I do apologize." His tone of voice didn't change once, not once! It was so bland and boring Goku felt the urge to sleep. A million Zensu beans couldn't keep caffeine awake in front of this guy!

"I'm also apologetic and empathetic towards your wife's passing. In her will, which she wrote two years ago after discovering cancer, held some information concerning you." He then pulled some papers from a suitcase beside the desk and placed them before Goku. "The main one you should consider viewing is on the top," he then pointed out. "It's a hand-written letter from Mrs. Son."

Goku took the letter faster than the worker had ever seen. His eyes gazed down at the paper, taking every letter of every word into mind.

_Goku,_

_I thought that I should include you in my will, for you were the only man I've ever loved. I've left you something that I hold dear to my heart, so dear that I weep as I write this. It's hard for me to write this, never mind say it. I feel so bad, so guilty, that you're going to discover this on paper and not face to face. I found out that I got cancer a few years ago, two years after I left you. They told me I was going to die. I panicked, of course. But not for my sake. This is hard, really hard. I'm so, so sorry for what happened. _

_Goku, you have a son._

_I want you to take him, please, Goku, take him. My father wanted to watch over him, but I said no. If you won't then I will want him to do so. You are down on our son's birth certificate as his father, so legally; you can look after him. I named him Gohan, after your grandfather. I've asked my solicitor, Mr. Joushi to take care of all the details, so don't worry about that. Gohan's information is in the documents that will be provided. _

_Love, Chi-chi_

He stared, and stared… and stared. That one sentence leeched his attention, eyes becoming large. His mind became numb, he became numb. Denial swooped around in his thoughts, followed by shock. But never acceptance.

"Mr. Son would you care for a glass of water?" offered Mr. Joushi. "You are looking incredibly pale."

Eventually, Goku shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He lied. "Have you read over this?"

"Yes I have, Mr. Son. It's my job."

"So…" He then took another long breath before shakily continuing. "What's going t-to um… h ...happen from here?"

"Well, would you like to meet him?" he asked, walking towards another door, opposite to the one Goku entered through.

"Meet who?"

"Your son, Mr. Son."

The very moment he nodded, he truly regretted it. But he wouldn't turn back, not now. The Saiyan followed the man through the door into another room, one a similar size. Although this room was much like a lounge; it had three leather sofas in the centre, and a large fish tank by the door. It was rather different to many of the rooms he had seen in the building, as the others had a cold atmosphere; this one had an even colder one. It may be the most attractive area he had seen all day, but he certainly didn't like the feeling around him.

He eyed the room for the boy, still petrified with caution. Soon, he discovered a child sitting on the floor, back facing to them. From what he could see, he was still pretty young, at least six. His sable coloured hair was tied back in a short pony-tail, which limply hung over his shoulder. It was obvious that he knew they were there; they weren't exactly quiet, so why was he acting so ignorant?

"I'll leave you two be then," Mr. Joushi said, just before disappearing out of the room.

Goku gulped and made his way closer to the young figure sitting on the floor. Slowly and steadily, he knelt down and smiled warmly. "Hey," he then said tenderly.

The boy turned around lazily and stared up at the man with large, curious eyes, eyes which reminded Goku much of his own. These eyes were red and full of exhaustion though, pain in every glimpse. "…hi," he replied emotionlessly. Goku couldn't stop staring at the child now that he had turned around. It was like looking into a mirror of his younger self. He knew that this was his son, and that fact alone scared him.

Soon, Goku began nervously. "I'm… uh, well I'm…"

"I know who you are," he interrupted sharply. "Mr. Joushi told me."

"I-I see…" Goku responded, shakily. It was obvious that he was taken aback by the boy's tone. But Goku couldn't blame him. "I'm really… sorry, Gohan. About your mum…"

The young boy, Gohan, turned back around. "Why should you be sorry?" He brought his legs up to his chest. "And what's it matter to you?"

Now the Saiyan was shocked, disbelief evident in his facial features. "It mattered a lot actually," he then confessed. "I know what it's like to lose someone special to you, trust me, I really know."

"Sure you would," he shot back. "Everyone around here seems to know. That's what they all say, about how they lost someone close! Why can't you people just understand that I don't care about who you lost! I don't care about anything or anyone!"

Goku's eyes didn't harden, nor did he shout. He simply placed a hand on the child's shoulder and watched him sympathetically. Gohan slapped it off and moved away though, sending him a malicious glare.

"I don't need you."

Goku nodded and stood up. "Ok Gohan. But please, don't block people out. I think you should talk to your grandpa."

The child froze. "Oh yeah, you think?" He stood up, reaching only half of his father's height. "I would… but he's dead too."

The man was silenced, Distressed.

"He died last year in an accident. The doctors said that the stress is what killed my mother…" Gohan curled his knuckles, and clenched his eyelids shut. "But it doesn't matter. They're both gone and I'm here."

"That means…"

"Yeah, that means I have nobody. On my own, not like I care…"

"You can't think like that Gohan!" his voice rose unconsciously. "Just because you've been pushed down doesn't mean you can't get back up!"

This time the boy became quiet.

"Your mum wouldn't like that and you know it!"

"And why do even care? It's not like you know me or anything!" the child pointed out. "We may be biologically related but this is the first time we've actually spoken!"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Gohan!" he snapped. "We may have never spoken but, but… but you're still _my_son!"

Gohan's dark eyes sharpened. He then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, through another door next to the one he entered through. Goku did the same but through the one he arrived through, leading into the office. Once he did, he met Mr. Joushi's concerned look.

"I would like to apologize on Gohan's behalf." Said the lawyer. "He never used to be like that. He was once a kind, happy boy. But since the passing of his mother, he has become depressed and spiteful. That's understandable. But I have my concerns about his health. He doesn't eat properly and tries to avoid communication."

"I feel so bad for him…" he sighed. "I just want to help him. It's not fair."

"You can, Mr. Son. Mrs. Son was very determined that it should be you to take Gohan into your care."

He stayed silent for a few minutes, staring off into nothingness. After a while, he nodded. "If that's what Chi-chi wants then I will."

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**Well… That's the second chapter out of the way. Or third, depending on how you see it. I can't decide if I like this chapter or not. I finished it just in time for Christmas too! Merry Christmas everyone!**


	4. 3 Weeks Later

**Rejection of the precious**

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**Chapter three – Three weeks later…

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**

_I've met him, I really have. He's everything mum said, and more. It's obvious he holds a kind heart. One that reflects mine, as mother told me. He was so nice, caring and understanding, oh gosh, he was SO understanding. But I threw it back in his face. Sure, I feel a little guilty, heck, who wouldn't? But what gives him the right to waltz right into my life, I didn't ask for HIS help. And now… guess what? He's officially my legal guardian! Why can't these people see I don't want or need their help! I'm fine, I'm happy and I'm healthy. What more could the parasites want?_

_I bet they think I'm dandy with the arrangements. Sure, I'll just go to this stranger's house and live the rest of my childhood there, whoopee. Well, there is one upside to this; he lives in the mountains. I guess that's pretty cool. I've always wanted to live in the country. Mother and I have lived in the city ever since I was born, and I've always hated it. The cars, the streets and the dodgy druggies are just so… what's the word, overbearing. _

_The only time I went anywhere near the country was on the way to grandpa's house, or castle should I say? He lives on Mt. Frypan, it was awesome when I visited him. But I can't do that anymore, can I? Well anyway, we're on the way to his house and so far it's taken nearly four hours just to get to his stupid place! Argh! I'm going to kill somebody if we don't arrive shor-_

"Hey, how about some tunes?"

Gohan inhaled deeply, still looking at the dairy in his grasp. An irritated glare sent its way up the Saiyan, who didn't even have a fault in his grin. Goku was sat in the front seat, driving down a busy road. It surprised Gohan that the man could drive at all. He was in the back, as he requested, just so he could have the privacy. Eventually, he mumbled his answer and shook his head.

"Well, what about the radio? Everyone loves the radio!"

Gohan almost felt sorry for the man; he was really trying. But nobody managed to get through to him, something that the boy actually admitted. But… what's the point of trying when it's obvious that it's not something you can succeed at? He learnt that the hard way.

"… Whatever," Gohan then sighed as he continued writing in his log.

Goku shook his head and sighed, once moving his hand away from the CD player in the car. This vehicle was actually pretty advanced; it was one of the newest models in the shops. Bulma had made sure he'd get a license not too long ago. He hated the idea, but now he was patting himself on the back for taking the test. Goku could imagine the poor kid's reaction to flying and super powers, and sure to hell he didn't want to be labeled some freak of nature.

"So Gohan…" Goku once again began, attempting to make a conversation with the seven-year old. "Have you ever been to the mountains before?"

"No."

"Well your Grandpa used to live in an area like this one, didn't he?"

Gohan just shrugged.

There was then an awkward silence. Well, actually Gohan didn't mind it; he preferred it to talking with the Saiyan. Goku on the other hand couldn't stand it.

"We're nearly there now, Gohan." Goku then informed him.

His son nodded and stared out the window at all the trees, animals and rivers they were passing by. He had to admit it; it was beautiful. Cherry-blossoms were everywhere and the petals passed by the car, is if they were floating along the summer sky. A smile almost edged its way onto Gohan's face; after all, he loved nature. But at the end of it, his face still stayed stone cold, as if he had been slapped.

Woodland animals didn't come too close to the car; they merely hid behind the trees or in the bushes. Yet Gohan was surprised to see them come as close as they did, especially since cars were one of the environments worst enemies. He remembered coming across global warming in one of his text books. And golly! Was he surprised! That's another reason he hated the city; far too much nitrogen.

"Ha ha!" Goku exclaimed cheerfully, sending Gohan a glance over his left shoulder. "I hope you aren't trying to escape, maybe you're a little excited to play with those animals! Mr. Joushi said you're a big tree hugger!"

It was then that Gohan noticed he had hold of the door handle. He turned a light pink, once pulling his hand away and placing it securely on his lap. "I don't like trees," he replied sourly.

The Saiyan seemed a little shocked at the response, but shrugged it off. "But you like animals, right?"

"No."

"Aw c'mon!" he chuckled. "Not even those little cute ones that lick you when you're sad?"

"Like a dog?"

Goku's eyes lit up and nodded enthusiastically, knowing he had made some sort of progress.

The boy turned his face away in disgust. "I hate dogs!"

Lost for words, and out of ideas, Goku couldn't think of anything else to do but slam his head down on the horn. A loud, rash beep filled everyone's ears and scared all the creatures away. Gohan seemed a little taken back, yet merely raised an eyebrow.

"I can't win with you, can I, Gohan?" Goku said with muffled words, lifting his head up from the horn. He sighed once seeing the kid shake his head darkly in the mirror. "You know what, Gohan. You really remind me of someone, but I can't remember who… Hmm…"

The child folded his arms and turned his head away and stared out of the window. "Humph!"

"Ah… that's who!" Goku laughed, seeing an image of his favourite prince in his mind. "Yep, I could see you getting along with good, ole Vegeta!"

Gohan ignored the comment and faced out of the window once more, that's when he noticed something in the distance. His eyes grew agape and he pressed his small fingers against the window screen. He heard his father chuckle softly at his reaction to the small house coming up.

When the car stopped, Gohan didn't waste any time in unbuckling himself and jumping out. Goku seemed to be the same, gleaming with pure excitement. He almost considered kissing the ground for a second. Oh god, he felt so much relief to be out of the car. At one point he was worrying that he was going to be stuck in that stuffy thing for the whole of eternity.

"Your Grandpa built this house," Goku informed the child, who was still gazing at the property. "It's in the middle of nowhere but I don't do cities, so this is perfect!"

"You may think it's perfect but I think it's a dumb." Gohan snapped, stretching his legs.

Goku ignored the comment, unfazed by Gohan's unpleasant words. He then turned and gazed upon the boy, who had just finished stretching and was now exploring the new area. Although still filled him with caution about the whole parenting thing, the Saiyan still made sure that Gohan didn't wonder off anywhere. That was the _last _thing he needed.

With a completely serious tone and raised eyebrow, Gohan turned and spoke. "Just out of curiosity, is this one of those cavemen houses where you yet still need to discover plumbing, or do you actually have a bathroom?"

However rude that was meant to come across, it still made Goku chuckle. "Of course there's a bathroom!" He laughed once more. "And don't worry; you don't need to use a leaf to wipe!"

Gohan wasn't amused…

Straightening himself out, he nodded down to his son. "Ya coming, I'll show you where your room is!"

But before Gohan could even reply with some smart, snotty retort, a large figure appeared out from the bushes and strode swiftly up to the duo. This defiantly startled the young boy, even causing him to hide behind his father! Large, pointy ears and green skin was certainly something that Gohan had not seen before. The thing before him was at least seven foot, he looked damn intimidating and it wasn't just because he was most likely an alien.

"Wh…wh-what the hell is that!" Gohan yelped from behind the go-lucky fighter. He clenched onto the man's orange gi tightly and poked his head out from the left-hand side.

"Huh?" Goku just stared down at the child. "Oh, he's Piccolo!" He then turned and looked up at the green giant, but he sure didn't look golly. A sheepish grin made its way onto his face as he scratched the back of his head.

"You missed our little training today, Goku. You've been off lately and I want to know why." The Namek didn't even avert his eyes to Gohan, who was still hiding behind his rival.

Goku tittered. "I haven't been _that _off, have I?"

"I would have thought a super Saiyan like you would be able to pummel me into the ground, unless you're just getting soft." He narrowed his eyes. "If you're getting soft, Goku, I assure you it's time that you come to the fact that the androids will be arriving in only a few years."

"I know, I know!" Goku sighed. "Look, there's just been some things going on and I don't really have that much time on my hands…"

"Well get some more time!" he growled. "What's more important? Little things and issues or the androids! Don't you remember what Trunks said?"

"Hey!" a little voice piped from behind the Saiyan. "You're called Piccolo, right? Are you related to king Piccolo?" A look of curiosity overcame the Gohan. "And wasn't you in the 23rd Budokai?"

"Huh? How'd you know that?" Goku asked the boy.

"I'm not moronic, you know. I have the tendency to read a book occasionally."

"Who the hell are you?" The alien questioned, glaring. He smirked and glanced up at Goku. "Well, I didn't know you did a babysitting service. Perhaps instead of looking after little _brats_ you can do some training."

Gohan scrunched up his face and released a snarl. "I'd rather be a little brat than a giant, chicken-weakling pickle."

"What was that, you little punk?! If you're not careful you're going to be hanging upside-down from a branch on a cliff!"

"Oh yeah, like I'm scared off a big, _scary_ cliff…" He snorted. "I'm seven, not three. So why don't you go back to that cliff and stick that branch up your-"

But before another word could leave his mouth, a large and powerful hand was clamped over his mouth. "A heh, trust me, Gohan, you don't want to get on the bad side of Mr. Piccolo." Gohan tried replying to that but only a muffled answer from under his hand was released.

"Who you calling Mr.?" Piccolo growled. He then turned around as his long, flowing cape blew in the slight breeze. "If you're not careful, Goku, that kid might just have a… _an accident_…"

"A heh, heh! Don't worry, Pic!" He threw a cheesy grin the Namek's way. "I'll make sure he is just as polite as his father!"

At this, Piccolo turned around faster than the eye could see and stared at him with an open mouth, one wide enough to catch flies. "Are you saying that he's your son?!"

Shoving his father's hand to the side, Gohan folded his arms. "Rub it in, why don't ya?"

The Namek's sharp eyes became little slits once more. "I suspect that the snotty _brat_is the reason that you have been lacking in our little spars. I suggest you lose the kid or change his attitude speedily, because Goku, this might not end pretty."

"A heh! No worries, Piccolo!" Goku grinned and ruffled Gohan's hair enthusiastically, earning a scowl. "He's a good kid, and besides you wouldn't hurt him!" Both Piccolo and Gohan raised an eyebrow skeptically. However a dark tone suddenly introduced itself into Goku's voice; "Because if you did; I wouldn't be happy." The sharpness of that sentence left as speedily as it arrived, and he smiled warmly.

It was obvious to anyone that there was a secret warning in what the Saiyan had just said, and Gohan certainly caught onto it. After all, he was a bright kid. And besides, it didn't take half a brain cell to figure it out.

"Look," Gohan began with a growl, "I don't need _you_ to defend me, _I_ am capable!"

"If I was you I'd listen to your father." Piccolo then faced Goku and nodded, "You, me; tomorrow."

"Gotcha'"

With that Piccolo left, a glare sent from Gohan chasing after him. The boy continued to watch him until he was out of site and back into the forest.

"Man, Gohan!" his father sighed. "You can't just go picking fights with people, especially people like… like _Piccolo_!"

"Just leave me alone!" the boy snapped, before storming off into the opposite way of the Namek.

Something told then Goku that it was going to be a _long _night…

* * *

**Ugh, sorry it's been a while. Just to let you know; I'm alive. I've gotten more into drawing lately, I actually set up a deviantart account not too long ago, I only have a few things published though. Note to self; add to deviantart account. Anyway… this is a totally different Gohan, eh? He's kind of bratty and a little smartass. Don't worry you'll get to see the boy behind the mask soon. Well, I think this chapter was a tad rushed, but I just wanted to get it done, and besides, I'm knackered. Lol, well, I'll try and update ASAP. Don't worry, I don't leave anything incomplete! And sorry for any grammar errors and whatnot, just tell me if there are some that really, really bug you and I'll change em!  
:D**


	5. Things Are Looking Up! Not

Rejection of the precious

**Rejection of the precious**

**Well, thought that I'd try and get this one out a little earlier than the last chapter. Oh yeah, to dbzfan952: You asked me about if Gohan's going to fight, my answer is that you're going to have to wait and see :D!**

* * *

**Chapter four- Things are looking up! Not. **

"Okay, so the first day didn't go exactly as planned… and perhaps Gohan has a death wish, but that shouldn't just ruin things, should it?" Goku chuckled nervously as he stared into the mirror before him. This actually helped his nerves. He couldn't really talk to Piccolo about this; the Namek would just suggest to… well, he didn't want to think about that. But, let's just say Piccolo wouldn't have any pleasant ideas.

Maybe Krillin knew something about suicidal children?

Well, Gohan wasn't suicidal. He was just, uh, depressed and thinking there was nothing left for him in life. Wait, isn't that the same? But that doesn't actually matter; Krillin would be too busy training to lend a hand anyway.

Bulma's a nice idea to ask for help. But she'd probably just turn him away, laughing in her expensive, high heels. She'd think it was all a joke. But if she didn't do that, she'd probably be too busy too. Actually, everyone seemed tied up in their schedules!

So he sighed. He knew that this wasn't the _real _Gohan; he still needed to be discovered yet. This situation or, preferably, Gohan was like an egg, Goku just had to be patient and delicate and then, when it was ready, it'd crack open and release a beautiful baby chick. All he needed to do was give Gohan the space and then he'd speak up when he was ready. But until then; he had training to do!

* * *

"Stupid green bean!" Gohan growled and put pen to paper, starting an assignment which was meant to be finished by last week. "He thinks he's so smart because he knows martial arts! Pic-anose or Piccolo, or whatever he's called can go find my _father_ and uhh… they can, well, uh… they can…Man I can never think of a good comeback when I talk to myself" He paused, speaking and writing halting simultaneously. "Wait, _why _am I speaking to myself?"

He continued to ponder these pretty useless questions as he sat crossed-legged on the couch. There was a TV in front of him, and the remote was only to the left of him by his arm. But, even as a toddler, he was never easily tempted. And he knew when there was work to be done, unlike… some people. At this thought Gohan's eyes averted from his work over to his father, who had meant to finish some paperwork over the adoption hours ago. But instead he was doing push-ups on the kitchen floor!

Actually, it was kind of off-putting.

"Instead of sweating buckets in that orange… uh, ah, uh, orange clothing you're wearing why don't you go do something useful," Gohan spat sharply, peering over his essay with dark eyes.

"Oh?" Goku stopped immediately and smiled kindly. "Like what?"

"Bin the adoption papers, ring Joushi and call off the adoption."

The Saiyan laughed before continuing his push-ups. "Ha, ha, ha… I respect you for trying, Gohan! However smart you are, little man, I'll be hanging from that branch on the cliff you and Piccolo seem to like so much before canceling the adoption."

"That could be arranged…" he mumbled into his papers. "For a martial artist, you aren't all that strong, ya'know. Aren't big, tough guys like you meant to be more concerned with getting stronger instead of looking after a little kid? Or is this all for your celebrity status?"

Goku snorted as more sweat dripped off his nose, before hitting the floor below. "Celebrity status? I don't think I have one of them. Maybe Bulma or Yamcha, but not me!" An amused smile made its way onto his face.

"Don't go bringing other famous people into it." Gohan snarled and jumped off the sofa, ruffling the papers in his grasp. He strode over to the other side of the room and stood over his father, as if letting the man know he was the superior. "Real fighters don't stay at home and do _simple _push-ups. They go outside and train properly, you know, in the wilderness. I don't understand how you won that tournament anyway, I bet even I could kick you're a-"

"Aren't you the little foul-mouthed one?" He chuckled and released a sigh, signaling the loss of energy. "And you think you can kick my a--butt. A heh, are you a fighter yourself, kiddo?"

Gohan's face scrunched up, as if he just smelt something that wasn't all that pleasant. "No," he replied rather quickly, too quickly in fact. "But I wouldn't be getting tired after only doing 53 and a half push-ups."

"You kept count?"

"It's a _distraction_," he snapped. "I couldn't help but notice, especially with all that huffing and puffing."

"Oh sorry!" he apologized, "if I knew it was annoying you I would have went outside. But I'm not _huffing and puffing_, as you put it, for no reason." He grinned and looked up at the child, who had cocked an eyebrow, expecting something actually worth his time. "I wear weighted clothing. My undershirt, my boots and wristbands are all weighted."

"Are they now?"

"Yep, want to feel one of my wristbands? They used to weigh five pounds but I changed them to 7.5 pounds!"

"And you expect me to believe that?" The boy snorted and walked away, leaving Goku sighing…

* * *

**Not too long later…**

"Must start adoption papers…" Goku whined under his breath, until his eyes made contact with the TV. "But my soap opera is on!" He frowned and sat up properly on the couch he was once lounging on. "No! I need to do this!" But he argued with himself once again; "But Jessie kisses mark tonight!"

"You sad, sad, pathetic man…" He then noticed Gohan leaning against the wall, his notebook tightly grasped.

"Huh?" Goku then gasped. "You mean you've never seen Break-ups!? It's my all time favourite show!"

"No… My mum used to watch it and so did my English tutor, and my baby-sitter. But they were all girls!" The young boy rolled his eyes. "No wonder you're single…"

As if Goku just ignored everything which his son had said, he patted down on the seat next to him. "C'mon and watch! It's the best!" Goku grinned a happy smile.

"I have better things to do, thank you very much." The boy rolled his eyes and sighed unenthusiastically. "Besides, don't you have to do those adoption papers? All you have to do is sign them! It's a two minute job!"

"Oh?" Goku stood up and wiped his pants down, staring with puzzled features at his son. "So you _want me_ to adopt you now?"

"No," he replied rather coolly. "But I dislike the fact that there is something which needs to be done."

"Suuuuure…"

"Are you mocking me?"

Goku laughed. "A little."

"Humph, you're just as bad as that stupid green man." Gohan snorted and turned his back on his father, who merely chuckled. Once again, the young boy growled and lowered his head, giving the man the hint that wasn't all that amused. This didn't really work to his advantage, as Goku just cracked up into laughter. Turning around with a surprised glance, Gohan widened his eyes. "What's so funny, old man?"

"Hahaha, you have to see-- -snigger- yourself! Oh my!" He only released a loud spurt of laughter. "You're like… haha, pft, ha; you're like a shrunken Vegeta!!"

"A shrunken _what?!_" Gohan narrowed his eyes and curled his fists. A short time had passed, and yet, Goku's chuckling was still going very strong. "Stop MOCKING me!"

This didn't really help either…

"Hahaha, I'm sorry b-but! Ha, heh, you see you're just like-!" Goku stopped dead in his tracks and stared sternly at Gohan's fists, which were now coated in a Crimson liquid; obviously blood. Suddenly a wave of guilt and cautiousness flew over him and he speedily ran over to his son and grabbed his hands.

"What are you doing?!" Goku then snapped uncharacteristically. "Look;" he then said a little softer, presenting the boy his own hands. "You're bleeding."

Gohan averted his eyes and stared away emotionlessly.

Goku looked over Gohan's small hands and saw four cuts engraved in the flesh of each hand. This was obvious that Gohan had been digging his nails into his palms rather roughly and it was also pretty obvious that he had angered the young child quite a bit. Grimacing, Goku looked up at the seven-year old with firm eyes.

Snapping his head back in the direction of his father, Gohan scowled with glistening eyes. "What?!" he began, droplets resting on the tips of his eyelashes. "It's not like I meant to do it! You're such an idiot, you moronic buffoon!"

Slightly taken aback, not as much from his words but mostly from his actions, Goku continued to keep his firm grasp on Gohan's wrists. "Look, you need to learn how to keep your anger under control. Have you done this before?"

"Get off me!!" he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the house.

"Gohan," Goku began once more. "Look at your hands. You are bleeding. "

Calming down and taking deep breaths, the child glanced down at his, now, red hands. His prickly eyelashes blinked at couple of times, making him want to wipe away any future tears. There was a small pause before he looked back up at his father, but when he did, he saw the concern which he was expressing.

"I didn't mean to!" he growled, still trying to snatch his bleeding hands away.

"Have you done it before, Gohan?"

He sighed and turned away once again. "By accident, I have; once."

Goku loosened the grip of his son's wrists and smiled lightly. "Well, try not to. It'll turn into a bad habit, trust me."

"Trust you?" He snorted, his head still turned away.

"I always clenched my fists too hard not too long ago, and I kept making them bleed; accidentally, of course. But then, I stopped noticing when I did it and it made my hands sore for quite a while. You don't want sore hands, do you?"

"I don't care," he spat, still not facing the man.

Goku then let go of his wrists properly. "Of course not." He smiled enthusiastically. "Because you're big and strong, and in addition; you're invincible." The man soon chuckled lightly at the sound of sarcasm in his own voice.

He then wiped Gohan's cheek softly and free of the falling tear which Gohan thought nobody could see. "You're just a little boy Gohan, and you're carrying too much on your mind than a little boy should. Don't push me away, son. I just want to help."

Looking him dead in the eyes, Gohan bared his teeth. "I… don't need… your help."

Sighing, Goku walked away to get the medical kit.

_He is just so damn proud… just like his mother...  
_

* * *

**Well, that is another chapter done. I don't know where I got the inspiration to write this actually. This first bit is pretty forced, but the rest flowed I guess. But please tell me if there are any mistakes, I'll change them ASAP. Thanks, Danni. And, sorry for the wait!**


	6. Seeing In A New Light

**Rejection of the precious**

* * *

**Sorry for delay :S Well, it's out… at least.**

* * *

**Chapter five- Seeing in a new light**

"So Gohan has kept distance from me since then. I think I've really got to him. Maybe I should apologize, what do you think, Piccolo?" Goku asked, turning to the Namek.

Piccolo picked up his turban, which was located next to the crater, created by a large energy blast from earlier in their spar. Dusting it down, he turned and faced his friend. "I don't know, I don't care and I, certainly, hope this doesn't interfere with our training any longer. Ever since you've been concerned with that stupid, little child you've dropped your defense. Why don't you get rid of the little runt?"

"Actually, it's not because of Gohan I've been a little, you know, slow and uh… to some sense weak." The Saiyan confessed. "I mean, ever since I spoke to Trunks told me I was going to die I've felt a little, uh, off. It's kind of worried me."

Still watching him with emotionless eyes, Piccolo continued to dust off the Turban. "That's unlike you, Goku." He soon commented. "It's not like you haven't died before."

"I know, I know. It's just… I've been feeling kind of… empty."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes and folded his arms roughly. "So it is because of some stupid, human emotion that you have been lacking in our training. If that is the problem; then I don't want to know. Just sort it out, and fast."

Goku sighed and brushed a hand through his spiky hair. "It's harder than you think, Piccolo." He then faced the other fighter and frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry that you're hearing all this. I know you hate all this silly, emotion stuff-"

"I do." He grunted.

"And it must get on your nerves quite a lot-"

"It does."

"And I know you don't like me talking about it-"

"I don't."

"What? You don't like me not talking about it or you don't like me talking about it."

Piccolo slapped a hand to his forehead. "Goku just shut up and go home to your runt. It's already past nine."

"What, it is?!" He exclaimed, "OH man!! I gotta' go, Piccolo!" He speedily jumped up into the air and flew off in the direction off his home.

Piccolo watched the man fly off from afar, once gathering his turban and his cape. Sometimes he wished he could just hit the idiotic fool for the things which he was capable of. However, he couldn't blame him for his emotions. Well, not completely blame him anyway. It was mostly the kid's fault anyway, the stupid punk. The cape, which was now placed on his back, flapped about freely in the light breeze of the dark night and his dark eyes scanned the area for any suspicious persons.

He often looked for trouble to see if he could get any information on Gero and the androids. But nothing ever came up. The worst thing that happened in the area was if a tourist was eaten by a lion or something, and that only happened in the summer holidays. Damn tourists.

Flying back over to his waterfall, Piccolo watched the ground skeptically and cautiously, trying to notice any sudden movements. He frowned upon noticing the dinosaurs fighting amongst themselves for food; that was probably going to be a big distraction when trying to meditate…

That's when he noticed it. In the bushes, by the lake, there was something trying to escape the over-grown lizards. His eyes widened in pure shock as he saw someone he recognized immediately. Gliding down, he landed just before the lake and walked over to the person with uncaring eyes.

"Now what do you think you're doing, runt?" The Namek muttered, looking down into a small bush where the small child sat. "Your buffoon of a father has left and gone home, he must be out looking for you by now."

Rapidly, the boy looked up, horror in his eyes. He gasped slightly noticing it was none other than Piccolo. "Ah! P-Piccolo!" he exclaimed, "I… I uh, I was hiding from the dinosaurs!! Go, before they eat you too!"

"Don't be stupid, you pathetic little brat." Piccolo snarled. "What are you doing out here?! It's at least ten miles away from the house. Go back to your father!"

Gohan pulled his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. He looked up at the alien with large, black eyes and furrowed his brow. "No way," he eventually replied. "I'm not going back there." A sniffle sounded. "So why don't you just leave me alone!"

Piccolo paused for a second. _That's a point; why don't I just leave? _He frowned and pulled on the scruff of the boy's hair, causing Gohan to look the man dead in the eyes. "You are causing more trouble than you are actually worth, boy. I should just get rid of you just so you don't cause any more hassle."

"Fine!" he spat. "Go ahead!" He narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't!"

Piccolo grinded his teeth and tightened the hold on Gohan's hair, pulling it backwards and causing a decent amount of pain. This was evident as Gohan had begun to squirm slightly and cringe, but still, he didn't cry out like Piccolo thought he would have. The pull became tighter and tighter, and still not a noise was made. Piccolo scowled and found a sudden respect for the boy, as the kid cared for his pride.

'_Or ego…'_ The Namek thought bitterly.

With teeth clenched, Gohan opened an eye and, somewhat, glared up at Piccolo.

Scowling himself, the fighter let go of the child's hair and threw him to the floor. Gohan hit the ground with a thud with some rocks bouncing off the ground in the process. Piccolo strode over to where Gohan was thrown and picked him up again by the scruff of his collar. Smirking, the Namek raised an arm and aimed it for the boy's stomach.

When contact was made, Gohan's eyes became wide and rather lifeless, loosing whatever spark he still had left. Dropping him to the floor once again, Piccolo's smirk slipped back into a frown as he noticed the kid's dark eyes water.

"Humph, what happened to mister tough guy?" Piccolo grunted. "I was just starting to like him."

Blood trickled down Gohan's chin as he twitched from where he lay. Watching the pathetic sight, Piccolo sighed. "Of course… I guess I was mistaken to have ever have thought that…" Turning around, his cape madly flapping about, he headed to walk off in the direction of his waterfall.

'_I'm a fool. He is only a child, an idiotic one at that.' _Looking over his shoulder at the child, who was not in the best condition, he growled. "You're nothing like your father."

Gohan closed his eyes, however he refused to sleep. Memories of his mother flooded back to him; the things she said, things she did, things she planned for him, they were now gone and now all he could do was sit there and take the pain. The pain of some… some idiotic alien, and now, now…

A tear slipped from his eye and over his nose as he lay sideways on the ground, smelling the freshness of the countryside. Also, his young face scrunched up as a couple more wet, salty tears fell. He, for the first time in a long while, cried silently, his body jittering up and down violently.

"Mum…" he whimpered softly, almost a whisper. _'I'm sorry… I'm sorry I'm so… so weak.' _

Piccolo continued walking emotionlessly, ignoring the display behind him. But before he left; he had one more thing to say. "Gohan,"

Trying to push himself up from the ground, the half breed opened a teary eye and stared at the Namek.

"You're not weak." He then stopped walking and faced the child once more.

Gohan pushed himself completely off the ground, barley being able to keep his balance. An awkward feeling began to arise as he felt Piccolo's strong gaze upon him, however, he didn't back down. Dismissing the blood which leaked from his mouth and the tears which slid down his cheeks, Gohan made no other movement. For some reason he felt as if he didn't have to question how the strange person read his mind, his private thoughts, he just wanted to hear what he had to say.

"You're just different." He smirked. "And being different isn't a bad thing."

With that, he left and walked off into the woods.

And with that, Gohan's expression softened. He had suddenly found a deep respect for this Piccolo, the person, who, for such a long time, he truly felt understood him.

* * *

**Got another one out! Finally! This one is pretty short though, but it felt right to end it here. This chapter wouldn't have been posted if it wasn't for Selene467, who kind of reminded me of this chapter. ; so thanks and I got it out much earlier than I thought!! To dbzfan952 about the adoption papers, you're probably right but I'm not too sure you need any papers whatsoever. Hmm... Anyway, thanks for pointing that out! In addition, thanks to all reviewers, alerts and favs! You guys rock my socks!! ;)**


	7. A Curious Gohan

**Rejection of the precious**

* * *

**Another late chapter, I know and I'm very sorry. But I do have a reason! I'm really busy with exams and whatnots! Ugh... GCSEs! But hey, it's out. :D**

* * *

**Chapter Seven- A Curious Gohan**

Gohan did return home that night, beaten and bloody. But surprisingly, his father didn't question him as much as he expected him to; this was a good thing because he didn't know how to explain what had happened without feeling too embarrassed.

Actually, a thought went through Gohan's head that maybe Goku was used people returning home bloody.

A cringing thought. Maybe his sparring with Piccolo was quite rough after all...

The following morning proved to be rather tense. Actually, it seemed that the atmosphere was so thick a fog horn was needed. When sat down for breakfast, a large breakfast, a breakfast Gohan daren't touch in fear of loss of a hand, the boy just watched his father engulf plate after plate of food.

His eye twitched as his father went on to his ninth portion. This was _not _natural.

"Mmppphhhff, dig in... Mmm!! Gohan, tasty... Mmmm!" Goku halted eating once noticing the pale complexion his son had obtained since arriving downstairs for breakfast. He blinked a couple of times in confusion and swallowed his previous mouthful of the finishing serving. "It's not poisonous."

Gohan's face still stayed white, then green, following ghost white again.

"You don't eat much, do you?"

His son seemed to be in some kind of shock. A bitter thought ran through Gohan's mind; _'I'm not going to get used to this. Ever.'_

"Hey Gohan, what happened to your lip?" Goku questioned, leaning across the table to get a better look. A small cut was presented on his upper lip, alongside a purple bruise beginning to rise. Piccolo sure did pack a punch after all.

This snapped the child out of the temporary trance, as he frowned and clenched his fists defensively. "Nothing," he replied all too quickly. "I fell. Why do you want to know? Just go train like usual." His eyes turned the opposite way, glaring holes into the wall.

Goku scratched the back of his head with his usual puzzled expression. "Uh, well I was hoping that we could do something fun."

This earned a very confused expression.

"Y'know... uh, together." The Saiyan finished.

Now this, earned a very angered expression

Gohan's clenched fists became tighter, this time he remembered to be careful, he didn't want a repeat of last time when his palms began bleeding. He wasn't all too fond of that memory.

"I don't want to do anything with you, get it?" he exclaimed. "This trash heap of a house is just bringing me down."

'_Wow, his mood swings are worse than Bulma's and Chi-chi's put together.' _ Goku paled at the bitter thought. _'Man, I hope he doesn't grow a taste for yelling! Chi-chi always made my head hurt.'_

Even Goku's depressed frown didn't stop Gohan from storming out of the kitchen, then the house. The boy continued to stride away and make his way up to the front door. He even managed to make it all the way there and touch the door handle until...

**Boom!**

The door exploded and pieces of wood began flying and scattering around left, right and centre. Gohan fell straight to the floor from the sudden eruption, protecting himself from any future injuries by covering his head with his small, delicate hands.

Once making sure that nothing else was about to happen, he swallowed. After a following second, Gohan pulled himself up and sat down shakily on his knees, making spiky, black locks lift from the ground. A small and pathetic cough then sounded as the dust floating about the room began to slightly clear up.

"Aaaayahhh! What happened?!"

The sudden bellow was soon followed by Goku dashing into the half destroyed room. His eyes widened in shock to how damaged everything was; pictures, curtains, the floor... oh god, the floor was going to take hours to fix.

That's when he noticed, near the doorway, his son was kneeling down on the ground as he was picking broken pieces of the wooden door frame out of his hair.

"Gohan!" he exclaimed, running over to the small boy. Inspecting him dramatically, pulling his arm up, grabbing and turning his face to the side, looking over his head and continuously talking. He did _a lot _of talking! "Are you hurt? Let me see? Man! Chi-chi would kill me if she saw the sight of you! Are you cut, bleeding? Bruised?"

He twisted and turned Gohan's arm from left to right with a thorough and deeper inspection than before. "What's wrong? I can't see no blood. Did you break anything? Bruise anything? And gee Gohan, what did you do to the door?"

Finally upon of having heard too much of Goku's annoying, whining voice, Gohan yanked his arm away in irritation. "I didn't do anything!! It just exploded!!"

Just as Goku was about to reply yet another explosion sounded. But thankfully, this time it was a little further away. But even dismissing that, both Goku and Gohan managed to see it from the ruins of the hallway.

"Come out; come out, where ever you are..." A sneering, low voice sounded from the outside. Obviously male. But who knew? Freiza seemed to confuse everyone over his gender. "C'mon little 3rd class Saiyan, I've travelled a v_ery_ long way to see you, Goku Son."

Goku frowned.

"Please come out, I'm _ever so... Lonely..._"

Chills ran down the back of both father and son.

"Are you in that house?" A low, dark chuckle. "It's a very nice house, _extremely pretty_. You wouldn't want me to destroy it, would you?"

Beads of sweat ran down the Saiyan's temples. Sure he was used to this. But now he had his life _and _Gohan's life to consider before diving into action. Looking down at his son, Goku tilted his head in confusion. The boy looked more puzzled than scared.

"W-what's going on?" the child asked in a somewhat innocent tone, which seemed so out of character for him. Goku stared. Gohan still looked perplexed to what was occurring. And things were beginning to take a toll on Goku.

"Gohan." Seriousness shone brightly in his dark orbs as he spoke. He made sure his eyes connected with his son's on some level. "You know where Piccolo lives, right? By the waterfall. Go there. He won't be there but it'd be safe."

"What does this have to do with-"

"Just go, Gohan!" he exclaimed, his voice rising with a maddening speed.

"I'm getting booooooooooored out here..." his sickening voice spoke from the nearby garden. "Goku Son, how long are you going to make me wait?"

Gohan stared at him for a moment before jumping up and running in the direction of the back door. Goku merely watched and waited to see if Gohan made it out alright. Once knowing he had made it to the backdoor, Goku himself ran forwards and out into the garden.

Confusion swept over Gohan, a lot of confusion. Once he slammed the front door, he just stood there for a moment or two. Thinking, thinking... But still, he was full of puzzlement. Slowly, he opened up the door again and peeked inside. He then realised that his father wasn't there.

Odd...

He had never been the one to follow orders from that man, so why start now?

Entering the house once again, Gohan tip-toed around the area cautiously. Sticking his head around every corner, looking for any future danger, he continued to make it up to the front door.

The door was open, as if it was inviting him to step further.

He frowned and folded his arms...

...Which was then followed with a deep breath.

And just when he was about to run through the door and see what the _hell _was going on, something came crashing down right in front of him. Looking up rather anxiously, Gohan scowled. That something happened to be green with antennas.

Piccolo.

The Namek glared. "You're meant to be far away from here, Gohan."

"I wanna' know what's happening." He responded, trying to tilt his head from left to right attempting to see catch some of the action outside. Unfortunately, Piccolo made a better door than a window.

"There's nothing to see." His usual icy, disdainful voice sounded.

Gohan looked up at the fighter with a determined expression and folded his arms stubbornly. "Oh, is that right?" he questioned bitterly. "If there's nothing to see then why are you blocking the door?"

"Don't get funny, boy."

Piccolo looked over his shoulder and over at the spectacle occurring behind him. Only for a second, Gohan sworn he could have seen a very worried expression on the mysterious Namek's usually cold face. But as soon as he turned back and faced the seven year old, the anxiety which was once displayed had reverted back into a frosty frown.

"I have a question." The child then voiced, his expressions rising into a curious feature. Piccolo looked down at him; however, his unfriendly scowl didn't vanish. "My father and you often go training, fighting, whatever, but... you seem to never have anything wrong with you guys –well nothing too bad. No broken bones, only a few bruises... and maybe a little blood. But that's it. What do you do? It must be pretty damn easy training."

This earned a snort from Piccolo, and it suddenly made Gohan feel extremely stupid. But before Gohan said anything, the green coloured fighter began to answer the question with a slight smirk. "Humph, maybe one time you could see it for yourself. Although, I couldn't promise your safety."

Gohan turned his attention elsewhere and folded his arms once more. "Seems you guys aren't all that strong, I bet you couldn't even fight yourself out of a paper bag."

Gohan heard Piccolo snort again. With amusement or annoyance, he didn't know.

"So why are you here than, hmn?" the boy shot at him, still showing pure ignorance, not even facing him when he spoke. "I was told you weren't going to be at your waterfall. So I guessed you were here to help my father, so why are you just wasting both of our time by blocking the door?"

"Unlike your father, I'm not moron. I knew you wouldn't go."

A fair enough answer; Gohan concluded.

Piccolo turned around again, still, that concerned expression plastered his features once again. This earned, yet, another question from the curious, young child.

"'You must be standing in front of me for a specific reason." Gohan stated, turning his head slightly and making eye contact. "Is it because my father would want you too?"

No answer.

"You shouldn't do that. Like you said; he's a moron." Gohan then added, but still, he received no response.

Becoming silent, the seven year old dropped his arms by his side and tried to stare past the Namek, but had no success in doing so. His attitude he had presented only minutes ago had speedily dissolved and now seriousness and real anxiety were the emotion he was expressing, much like Piccolo had displayed just before.

Gohan then took one, deep breath. He wondered if it was always going to like this from now...


	8. Frieza

**Rejection of the precious

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**ARGHH!! Do you know how hard and time consuming exams are? Then if so, you'd be able to understand why my updates are sooo late. Sorry. I have a lot of stuff happening and I'm lucky I've found time to write this chapter, But I'd like to thank all the reviews, alerts and favs, without them, I'd have no inspiration to continue with the story.

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**Chapter Eight – Frieza

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Goku glared at him with murderous eyes, eyes which challenged the monster... The monster which... which... -he couldn't even think about it. This creature could take away someone's life without even blinking an eyelid. He had no conscience.

He was despicable.

He was... disgusting.

He was... was... Evil.

He was Frieza.

Frieza; the word which would make you vomit by just having his name upon your lips, people prayed that they would never have to meet him. Unfortunately Goku just wasn't lucky enough to miss him on Namek. His small, white slithery body hung in sky and the purple gem-like skin on his body reflected the sun light into the eyes of the young father.

"What are you doing here? Monster!" the Saiyan growled, his fists clenched protectively by his side. "Why won't you just die?!" he then spat out, his face darkening and teeth bearing.

The lizard's tail swayed from where he was floating above Goku and a dark smirk was introduced onto his cruel face. He folded his arms and raised his chin up high arrogantly. "Why, Goku. I thought that you would have missed me in my absence. I was _so_ looking forward to see my favourite monkey -Well, other than Vegeta. I haven't seen him around either, I hope he's doing well. Heh."

It was like the Saiyan had just been smacked in the face. He was alive! Still! "H-how are you still here!" he raised and shook his fist at the villain, still with his teeth clearly bearing.

Frieza smirked and bowed his head as though he had made a big come back. "Well, Goku. How about we continue our fight?"

* * *

"What's going on?" Gohan asked somewhat casually. Although, he didn't look very casual –his hands were anxiously wrapping themselves around each other and he seemed to be very jumpy.

Piccolo had caught on to this a little and shook his head in amusement.

"What?" the boy snapped with a sudden jolt of anger. "I just wanna' know!"

"It's nothing, Gohan." The Namek replied in monotone. "You're bothering yourself with something which does not concern you."

The child's eyes narrowed as he watched a bead of sweat travel down the alien's head. Piccolo seemed just as worried as he was! Damn it. What right did he have to lie to him when the stupid green idiot wasn't letting him pass?

"What's wrong Piccolo? For a green guy you sure are looking white." Gohan shot at him. "There's no point in telling me nothing is going on. You could be over there helping him and instead you're here and being useless towards the situation."

"Shut your trap, you little punk!"

"And you raise your voice when you know I'm right. Ahaha! Pathetic, how does it feel to get frustrated because of a small, seven year-old child? Once a demon lord and now a baby-sitter. Tsk."

"Be quiet!" Piccolo snarled loudly.

But still, Gohan refused to back down.

"You aint' good enough to help out, is that the problem? Is my 'oh so brilliant' farther the only one good enough to be able to do something?" he triumphantly retorted, his dark eyes narrowing once more. This time he had a small smirk alongside them.

Piccolo's sharp nails dug in his palms as he clenched his green fists. His dark eyes closed steadily for amount in irritation- this was the closest thing to an attempt he got at calming himself down. However, when he looked back towards where Gohan was perched, he found nothing. The Namek desperately looked around for the boy but found nothing.

"Where the hell is that kid?!" he bellowed frantically to himself.

He threw himself round and glanced around the area, the white cape flapping madly behind him, and dashed over to where Goku was and the warrior were fighting.

* * *

Goku couldn't even move a muscle. Only one question dawned over him; 'how the hell is Frieza alive?'

"Come on then, monkey! I'm standing right here and you just keep looking at me with those giant eyes! Surprised, you ape?" Frieza sneered. "Fight me!!"

The Saiyan's stomach churned and his fists clenched. Something seemed strange. Even though he had killed Frieza before, he had somehow returned... and then Trunks had killed him. Now, this is what confused him; he had felt the monster's energy disintegrate! Now... now, now he was back? Again! He was like a cockroach! He just _would not _die.

So yes, this "_ape" _was very surprised.

"Aghhh!" Goku's ears suddenly picked up. To his definite shock (and dismay), behind him stood Gohan –his arms trembling as he looked up at the murderous tyrant. "Wh-what IS that?!" The child exclaimed again.

"Gohan!" Goku hissed. "Go back to the house, –the waterfall; anything!"

The child's eyes had doubled in size and trickles of sweat sloped down and over his nose. "I-I... I uh, I-I-"

"Ah, what's this; a baby monkey?!" The tyrant jeered as he pointed his long, white finger towards the shaking child. Unconsciously, Goku shuffled backwards at said gesture. "Ahah! And now I think I understand your sudden change in attitude, Goku! Trying to protect your son seems to be causing anxiety! I'm not going to go easy on you because of such a weakness! I WANT MY REVENGE!"

Gohan stumbled backwards at Frieza's outburst and gritted his teeth in apprehension; still more sweat pouring down his forehead.

"And I'll start by killing this brat..."

"Frieza! NO! Your fight is with ME!!"

Goku's protests went unheard as Frieza dashed past the Saiyan and zoomed off in the direction of the fearful boy. Even though it was useless, Goku still shouted orders at Gohan to run as he, himself, attempted to keep up with his enemy. As still as a statue, Gohan stayed glued to the spot –fear so clearly evident in his eyes.

To Goku it seemed as if everything began to shift into slow motion. His heart strings strung as he watched Frieza's outstretched fist connect with his son's stomach. Also his voice became hoarse as he screamed out for his boy. And, finally, he was sure that he felt his heart stop for at least a second as red, thick blood flooded outwards from Gohan's mouth.

Frieza's cackles echoed as Gohan's body plummeted through hill after hill and mountain after mountain, until a larger, rockier mountain broke his fall and crumbled into many boulders. Each rock, large or small, crashed down onto the tiny body –completely and utterly stealing away any hope of life.

Goku felt sick. With Krillin; he had become a super Saiyan... But now...

But... now... But, but... There was nothing. Goku could only feel that churning feeling in his stomach worsen. He wanted to be sick. No... He needed to be sick. He was going to be sick! He... he! The Saiyan threw himself down to the floor and held onto his gut as tears swelled in his eyes. This was all too much! "G-Gohan..." A tear fell. "G-G-Gohan!" Another tear. "Frieza! YOU BASTARD!"

"Monkey crying?" Frieza taunted, approaching the broken man. "Could you have imagined if your son was there on Namek with you? I would have killed him then –quickly and this would have saved so much trouble!" His tail swayed around in amusement as Goku tried to contain himself.

"W-why... He was only a boy, Frieza! A boy! He had been through so much too!"

"Suck it up, you filthy ape!"

"I'll kill YOU!!!" Before Frieza could even respond, the Saiyan's iron fist was aimed straight for the lizard's face. However, the slow motion had disappeared –only to be replaced by such a speedy blur that Goku couldn't even grasp what was happening. Said fighter didn't only just land the punch, as his fist went straight through the skull of his enemy! However, this is where Goku became confused... No blood appeared anywhere. But, wires and computer gadgets flew everywhere, and then, all too quickly, the head exploded! It wasn't long until the body followed suit and burst into flames –sparks flying everywhere.

Goku then summed it all up... This wasn't Frieza... It was an android –based on Frieza.

Still, the tears didn't stop and the man's curled fists became tighter. "WHO WOULD BE THIS SICK?!"

"Goku."

He didn't respond to the call of his name. His head eyes stayed firmly fixated on the ground. And anger swirled around in his gut. The fact that annoyed him the most about this fight was that it wasn't even the lizard-bastard himself –just a stupid, robotic clone of him, and a weak one at that. So, after all, it was Goku's own fears and thoughts that got his son killed. He killed his son. "I killed him, damn it!"

"Goku!" The voice repeated, this time louder and more agitated.

This time, he looked up to see Piccolo stood there –clad with Gohan in his long, green arms. He was pale, beaten... bloody of course and his eyes were shut as though he was asleep. But Goku knew better.

"I managed to dig him up from under the rocks..." Piccolo told his teary rival. "And look..." Piccolo's left arm swapped from Gohan's legs and softly grabbed a furry, brown tail hidden around the boy's waist. Carefully tugging, Piccolo stretched it out to show Goku, before letting it fall naturally behind the child.

Goku's voice was rough and croaky as he spoke. "He had a tail..."

The tension vanished as Piccolo looked up at the Saiyan with a peculiar expression. "Why are you using past tense?"

"Wh-what?"

To clear all matters up, Goku noticed his son stir in the Namek's strong arms. And through his chapped lips, a hoarse laugh emitted. He continued to watch as Gohan's fingers twitched every couple of seconds.

"Miracle, huh?" he coughed out emotionally, through his laughter.

Piccolo tried not to waste any more time and handed the boy to his father. Goku smiled down at Gohan through his teary eyes. Piccolo did not understand humans, and he didn't pretend to either. He couldn't see why Goku was still crying now that he discovered the kid was alive.

"Humans..." he scoffed under his breath. Although, he would never admit it, but he had felt great relief upon finding a breathing child –rather than a dead one.

"Piccolo, do we have any Zensu beans?"

His eyes narrowed. "No, I'll go to Korin..."

He didn't bother hiding the fact that this task was nothing but a chore to him. But before he left, he had one more thing to say...

"Goku," Piccolo began, sternly. His friend looked up at him through his puzzled orbs, now that he had ran low on tears. "Consider this no miracle. Take notice to his tail –the only reason he survived this was because of his heritage. If he were a normal, human child then you would be holding a corpse."

Goku's eyes widened only a little before resuming normal shape. "You tell me this as if I don't know, Piccolo..." Unconsciously, he took hold of his son's tail gently. "I guess this is the one thing I am grateful for about my Saiyan background."

"What about the android..."

"You could tell?"

"Of course." The Namek grunted, turning his back on the father and son. "It radiated no Ki level and it didn't look like the Frieza we have just recently faced. The Frieza we have just fought was partly mechanical ever since your fight on Namek. However, the sadistic personality of android seemed comparable to him, didn't it? I guess Gero thought he would test one of his test-dummies on us –especially now that he found out you have a kid. Probably wanted to see if the brat could pack a punch."

Goku pulled Gohan closer to him as the child stirred once more. Even if Gohan wasn't too fond of him, he had certainly built some sort of relationship with him. And it hurt him to even think that Gohan could be in some danger. Is this what fatherhood was doing to him? He was constantly scared, worried and not thinking straight due to his son's safety.

Yet, he would never have it any other way...

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**This story is going to be the death of me. I tell you what, I friggin' pick stupid times to have sudden inspiration for this story. It's nearly two in the morning and I have prom (Woot woot!) tomorrow. Sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter –I'm too lazy and tired to check at this point in time and if I don't post this now I won't get it up for another ten years. I actually started this chapter in December. Pft. I only have one more exam left, goodies, so more updates soon hopefully. I want to apologize if my stories suddenly got, uh... 'crap!!'. I read through them and was like; 'Huh?'. Then I realised I have NO inspiration any more for anything I write –which is odd considering I love FF. Must be the exams... Yes... Exams... **

**Ahh well, thanks for all reviews, alerts, favs and Pms!! You guys are cooler than ice cubes! (You can tell it's late and I'm deprived of sleep, huh?)**


	9. Piccolo's Idea

**Rejection of the precious

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**Faster than usual I must say! And finally, I believe that this story is ACTUALLY getting somewhere now. Uhh... I hope. Haha, enjoy.

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**Chapter Nine – Piccolo's idea **

Gohan's eyes fluttered open slowly. He was no longer dead to the world. However, everything was indistinct –only being able to make out large and swirling blurs. And one question boggled the young boy.

"W-why does my head h-hurt?" he croaked quietly, genuinely surprised by the rough texture of his own voice.

He moved his hand and rested it on his forehead. Puzzled, he allowed his fingers to dance around the odd material wrapped around his head. It felt like cloth. Had he somehow hurt himself? Had he gone and hit his head stupidly –that would answer the question to why he doesn't remember anything. But then, it all hit him. Piccolo, his father, the lizard and... And! Well, that's where everything went blank. He frowned.

Finally, blurs turned into shapes, and shapes into clear images.

So, he nearly jumped when the clear picture of Goku appeared by his bedside. "Eeep!" he squeaked as he snatched himself upwards, leaning up against the headboard. His eyes shrank back to their normal size once noticing that his father was sound asleep. Until now, he was unaware that his father had a warm and comforting grasp of his small hand.

Gohan's eyes lowered and he stared downwards at the bed, bringing his knees upwards. His father slept soundly, often emitting soft snores, as he rested his head on the bed between his arms. The man's left hand still continued to hold onto his son's. And Gohan still didn't face him –his dark orbs still gazing into the duvet.

Did this man not understand? He did not want to be close to anyone. Why did his _father _make it so damn difficult to pull away? Tears made the boy's eyes glossy. Lately, he was always crying...

"He's been there, next to you, for three days now."

This time, Gohan _did _jump.

"Piccolo!" the child gasped in surprise. Stood by the window (from the outside, of course) was the Namek, his eyes locked onto Gohan's large dark ones. "What happened?"

Piccolo folded his arms and narrowed his eyes stubbornly. "Gohan... Are you aware that you have a tail?"

Shuffling about self-consciously under Piccolo's glare, Gohan grabbed his bandaged tail. He scowled in embarrassment down at his appendage–his grip becoming tighter as the anxiety became worse. "What's it to you? It's like me asking; 'are you aware that you are green?' I'm pretty sure you wouldn't appreciate that..."

A smirk formed on the Namek's dark skin. "A punk like you should have better manners." A snort sounded. "You probably got that from your father's side. Also, that soft heart of yours was inherited from the goof ball. I do have to say, though, I don't know where your ego came from."

"Ego? Soft hearted? Your description doesn't make any sense –none of that suits me!"

Piccolo was amused again. "Honestly, you expect me to believe that after every time I've seen you break down into tears?"

That was it for Gohan. He stole himself and his hand from his father's grasp and jumped out of the bed. This green dork had some nerve! Striding up to said 'dork', Gohan's frown could only deepen. And when only a matter of feet away –the child felt the strong presence of the powerful fighter (but chose to ignore the fact that it did quite scare him). He bared his teeth at the Namek.

"Don't you think it's ridiculous that you think you know me in only a matter of weeks? Especially, weeks where you have spent not even two hours in my presence? Darrgh! I don't care what you think! I'm stronger than you give me credit for! I can assure you!"

"Oh really?" he jeered at the Gohan. "Care to test that theory, boy?"

Gohan's eyes became sharp slits as he backed away slightly. "Yeah... and what do you mean by that?"

Piccolo's cautious eyes travelled over to where Goku was resting peacefully and unaware to the conversation at hand. Hopefully, the buffoon Saiyan wouldn't kill him for this. Even before anyone could blink an eyelid, the green arm of the Namek stretched outwards (quite literately) and snatched Gohan by his collar –dragging the shocked child through the small window. And Gohan didn't even have a chance to scream out before Piccolo slammed a hand over his mouth.

"This is troublesome..." uttered the kidnapper as he took to the sky –clad with Gohan in his arms.

The boy's eyes tripled in size as he watched him and the frightening Piccolo leave the ground and sore into the air at who-knows-how-many miles per hour. He wanted to scream out for help; but to whom? This insufferable pride would never let him shout out for his father. But nevertheless, that didn't matter because he couldn't yell out even if he wanted to with that damn hand covering his mouth!

He couldn't look around because of the tight clasp around his body but he was sure that they were flying to someplace at a phenomenal speed. Except for Piccolo, all he could see was blurs far, FAR below him. A gulp could be heard.

"I ain't one for talking much –especially to a snot-nosed brat like you but I think you should know a story." He heard the worrisome Piccolo hiss. "About -just short of eight or so years ago, your father and I never saw eye to eye. I tried to rule the world and he got in my way... that fool." Gohan's eyes grew again. "I still hope to achieve that goal but at the moment... problematic issues have risen." He added, trying to choose his words carefully.

He continued. "Let's just say there are some of us, fighters, who are training for an enemy wanting to destroy Earth."

Gohan wanted to ask: "So why are you helping?" But considering his position and all...

"This enemy is going to get in my way for world domination. For the last few years there have been no time to take over the Earth, but once this enemy has been taken care of –well, let's just say your father and I will no longer be allies..."

This made sense to Gohan, actually. His father was always concerned about how the way the boy had approached the Namek. Goku was often warning him... Gohan understood now.

"That's something I wanted to clear up. Even if he says we're friends, just remember; he is my enemy. So, as soon as I get the chance -and power... I'll kill him." Piccolo's voice was dark and Gohan became that bit more scared. "I told you that information so you wouldn't get confused to what I say next;" The voice was no longer heavy, but awkward. "I think you have a small bit of potential to help against this future enemy."

The flying trip flew by and they landed in, by the looks of it, the middle of nowhere. Trees went on forever –growing bigger and darker the further back they went into the woods. However, there was one small pond near them, but no life seemed to be living in it. Gohan could hear birds squawking nearby, though. Yes, he had never been so far from home before. It wouldn't surprise him if this was those scary dinosaurs' natural habitat!

Gohan felt Piccolo release his small frame, before falling to the ground. The floor was cold and wet. And Gohan was sure that his father wouldn't allow him out here even with Piccolo –no, especially with Piccolo!

"But to make this potential worth something, someone needs to train you properly. Goku is too soft for that job. Don't you think you've been babied far too long?" Piccolo's tone became frustrating to the boy.

"What's it to you?! And what would happen if I reject your offer?!" snapped the angered child.

"You don't have a choice in the matter. When this pathetic ego of yours disappears then I might consider letting you go home..."

"Oh yeah, and what about my fath-"

"Leave that to me. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me toughening you up somewhat. A scrawny brat like you should feel lucky that I'm even considering training you. But I won't train you until you prove to me that you're worth training."

'_Good, I'll just do the opposite...' _Gohan thought bitterly.

Piccolo turned away from the boy and his cape flapped behind him. "All you have to do is survive until further notice..." And then he took to the skies, his back still turned on Gohan.

"Wha?!" Gohan managed to exclaim. "You can't just leave me here! How do I get out? I can't live under such conditions!" The boy growled in thought; _'I guess I can't do the opposite then...'_

That's when Piccolo chose to zoom off into the blue sky, leaving Gohan bewildered.

"And how the heck do you fly...?" the child mumbled to himself. He then tried to catch up to Piccolo by foot, but having no luck in doing so. "And what do you mean by train?! I refuse to fight!!" Gohan's yells echoed into the skies as he stood still, unsure of what to do or say.

Piccolo was now out of eyesight.

* * *

"Son! WAKE UP, YOU FOOL!"

Goku shot up upon hearing the screaming voice. With wide eyes, the vision of Piccolo jumped into his tired and blurry sight. He then swapped his attention from the Namek to the empty bed where his son was supposed to by sleeping. Once again, Goku's eyes grew even bigger as he watched the messy pile of covers on the bed.

"Wh-where's Gohan?" he stuttered cautiously –hoping for a lack of bad news.

Piccolo, now inside the small Son house, growled slightly at his rival. "Don't worry about him, Goku... I think it's time that the runt toughens up a little."

"What? What have you done, Piccolo?!" Goku hissed, turning on the fighter swiftly. His brow furrowed immediately and teeth were bared.

"Think about how strong you were when you were his age. Do you think you could have survived Frieza's blast when at, what, seven years of age? And with no fighting experience, also? With training I'm sure he could be... somewhat... useful. So I dumped him somewhere to fend for himself until further notice. He needs to man up."

Goku paused for a long moment, and Piccolo thought that the man was considering this. "... Did he agree?"

"..."

"No then?!" gasped the Saiyan. "So you kidnapped my injured son and left him in the middle of the forest? Chi-Chi would be saying something like: 'How dare you do this to our son!' if she was still alive! He has never been trained in martial arts and dislikes anything to do with fighting! I can tell by the way he glares me when I'm training around the house."

"No, that's because he doesn't like you..."

"Well, and that. But, I can't let Gohan get involved with the androids. I refuse! He has been through far too much and to get him involved in fighting –it's just not fair."

"You think babying him and cuddling him will make the kid suddenly happier?" Piccolo snorted. "Don't be so moronic. He needs to be strong to get through this."

Goku eyed Piccolo suspiciously for a long moment, and then cracked a grin. "Thought you didn't care, eh?"

Piccolo sighed and rubbed his temples. "And still, you prove to be an idiot once again. You and I both know that I only want the androids out of the way so I can take over the world. The more fighters there are to take the robots down the better..."

"Of course."

Piccolo's eye twitched. "I mean that."

"Okaaaay..."

"Seriously."

Goku flashed another toothy smile and ignored him. "I can understand what you mean about Gohan, though." The man rubbed his chin and thought carefully. "I guess training in the wilderness isn't too bad –almost fun. After all, I did train there when I was a kid." He looked upwards at the Namek. "You know what, I'll agree to this!"

Piccolo nodded and turned his back on the Saiyan. However, his ear twitched when he heard Goku's voice again.

"But on one condition, Piccolo! I want to watch over Gohan and make sure he is alright each and every day."

"You must be joking!" Piccolo snarled. "That means that our training would be minimal. No!"

"Why can't we train near him and keep an eye on him whilst at it?" Goku suggested, throwing, yet, another smile at his 'friend'. "But that means we're going to have to go easy with the energy blasts and stuff."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. He was certainly regretting his decision now...

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**Well, another update. OMG. Me. Update? Sheesh, wouldn't believe it –would ya? I don't know what to say at the moment. Well, it's late and nothing is on the damn TV. Ahh well, boredom makes good writing time. Hopefully, I'll update AHTW soon too. :-) Thanks to all reviewers, PMs, alerts and faves.**


	10. In the Wilderness

**Rejection of the precious

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**Well, I updated my last story yesterday and I want to get 'A Hero's Time Warp' updated soon too. My "oh so fun life" is to be put on hold until I have updated a little more. Surprisingly, I had fun writing the last chapter for 'GTSW-R'.

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**Chapter Ten – In the Wilderness

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"I'm so stupid..." uttered a certain raven haired child. He swiped his sweat brow with his sore and bruised arm. The bandages had long fallen off as he trekked through the forest for hours on end. He shoved past a few more trees –nearly tripping over every passing tree root he came by. "I can't believe I chased after my clumsy father. Then a giant lizard knocked me out and then... and then! Darn! Now I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere..."

Gohan had been stuck in the wilderness now for just over a week and he was still struggling. He didn't understand how Piccolo had come to fact that he was magical or something but, nonetheless, had to find a way to survive. Unfortunately, Gohan had no choice but to do as the green fighter wished.

The child managed to scrounge some fruit every now and then but his taste buds were itching for meet. And to Gohan's dismay, he had no clue how to hunt. So when Gohan tried to fish, that went just as bad as anything could. The boy never knew fish grew to the size of a house in the mountains!

_Grrrrruuuuuumbble..._

His stomach moaned out again and he had never missed a kitchen so much in his life! Gohan was ashamed to admit this but; he was a city kid and city kids didn't fare too well out in the wilderness alone... with no food... and no shelter, or no anything for that matter.

Gohan stopped his pacing and relaxed for a moment –leaning against the nearest tree. He took one, long deserved breath and rummaged through his tattered pockets for something to eat. He managed to bring out some berries he had thought to be safe. Getting diarrhoea now would definitely be a problem. The child then popped all five pieces of food into his mouth and savoured every bit of flavour –this was his first thing today and it was nearly five in the afternoon.

Even Gohan didn't think he would fare this badly in the wild.

All the child did was either sleep from exhaustion, explore a little or eat whatever scraps food he could find. But the worst thing of it all was; he couldn't study!

Gohan noticed, then, that he couldn't even push himself up –he was just _that _tired. The child had been aware that all the time he was feeling sluggish and weak but this was out of the ordinary.

"Oh well, this is where I die. I guess..." came the depressing words of an exhausted child as he rested his head back against the bark of an old and probably bug infested, tree. As his eyelids became heavier and heavier, they fluttered and became more tempted to close. And just as they were about to shut, a giant, lilac blur shot out in front of him.

Gohan chose now to regain energy. "Wha?!" he yelped, opening his eyes wider than saucers.

Stood in front of him was something resembling a dinosaur -no, in fact, a dragon. It had large, curious eyes which reminded Gohan of a small child's and wings which seemed out of proportion with its body. Two horns were perched on its scaly head and it had a large mouth which liked to present itself as a grin. It may have been noted as a cute creature, but from where Gohan was standing, anyone could see the length and sharpness of its claws.

"No! I changed my mind! You're not going to eat me and I'm going to live!" Gohan hissed, standing up and jumping back about a yard. It was young looking, Gohan noticed but, without a doubt, had an appetite most likely bigger than even his father's.

The creature merely tilted its head in confusion at such behaviour. The child felt even more anxiety as the dragon began to approach causing him to take more steps back consciously. "Stay away, you hear?!"

The child felt that there was nothing he could do when the thing pounced on him. Just as he was about to scream, he felt that his face wasn't being bitten off by a crazy, hunger-driven beast. But rather, being licked and slathered over into submission by a giant baby.

Gohan couldn't help but giggle as he was being tickled by the giant tongue. "S-stop it!" he stuttered out through fits of uncontrollable laughter. "Ahahaa, stop it! Aha! It's g-gross! Ahaha!"

Luckily for the boy, the dragon stopped its excessive licking but still remained to sit on top of him –despite the difference in weight. The creature seemed about the size of a fully grown cow, or, perhaps, even bigger. Yet, it seemed Gohan didn't even feel a thing.

The creature purred as Gohan patted its head. "Please release me, Mr. Dragon. I have to go and find some food or I will die."

The dragon was startled by what Gohan said, causing the boy to be surprised that the dragon could actually understand him. The lilac coloured animal hopped off of him and dived into the forest somewhere, leaving Gohan bewildered and wondering if anything actually happened or if he was just food deprived.

Gohan walked off somewhere else and found the nearby river, which was close to a cave he had been living in. The water was nice and fresh and the fish didn't grow as big as mini vans there –which was a relief for Gohan, especially when taking a bath. But, nevertheless, he still had the problem with being able to catch a fish. There was more chance of them eating him than vice versa.

Thanking the heavens that another day had finally passed, he kicked off his shoes and threw down his sword. He stared at it for a moment, wondering why he had found it randomly in the middle of nowhere. It was brand new and was not a scrape to be seen on it. The child passed it off as luck as beggars could not be choosers.

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"Wow, he's struggling kinda' bad." Goku commented as he and Piccolo stood on a close by mountain, watching the boy.

"That's not my problem." Piccolo snorted uncaringly.

"You can't say you 'don't care' because it was _you _who wanted to give him the sword."

Piccolo's eye twitched at the tone his rival used. He folded his arms and glared out into the sunset. The light wind of the upcoming evening howled past the duo and the Namek spoke once again. "He'd be dead without it. Don't you think it's pathetic that he can't even defend himself in the wilderness? He is lucky I didn't place him here in mid winter –then, there would be a problem."

Goku frowned worriedly and watched his son suffer, his heart aching along with his child's. '_Come on, Gohan. You can do this...'

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More days passed by and Gohan hadn't heard from that little, purple dragon again or Piccolo, or even his father which did surprise him a little. To the child's dismay, he had never felt so lonely. The boy began to notice he had lost a considerable amount of weight and it was starting to make him feel concerned. However, every once in a while, he would find a lone apple lying next to him after a terrible night's sleep. Little coincidences seemed to be occurring quite often.

"It's been nearly two weeks." Gohan mumbled as he engraved another note of a passing day into the cave's wall. The familiar sounding of his stomach rumbling echoed in his cold and empty home, signally his hunger pains.

"Grwaah!"

Gohan looked up, startled. He couldn't help but grin when seeing the purple dragon he met not long ago. It was still as cute as ever, and even cuter more so when it wagged its tail. The child jumped up and ran over to it, feeling, somewhat, happier that he was no longer alone. Now getting another bolt of energy, Gohan petted its head and smiled when it purred like it had done last time.

It shocked the child when the creature snagged Gohan by his torn clothes and dragged him outside of the cave.

Just as he was about to protest, his vision became blinded by many colours. Before him, there laid a giant pile of fruit –even bigger than the boy himself. The child, unashamedly, felt his mouth water as the smell of exotic food flew up his nostrils. Step by step, he continued forward without the thought of rejecting the creature's offer. He stopped millimetres away from the feast and faced his new friend, tears stinging his eyes as a smiled softly.

"Thank you very much Mr. Dragon. You are very kind!" Gohan sniffled to only have the animal purr even louder as he was praised.

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Time began to shift faster as Gohan gained an ally, and soon the boy was entering his third month in the wilderness...

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**Well, I know –short chapter and I REALLY wanted to continue it. But I only needed to show a little time passing. Garrgh. I know there isn't much speech in this chapter and I quite struggled with that. I can't exactly make Iccarus talk, can I? Ahh well, thanks for all reviews, Pms, favs and alerts! You keep this story going. =).**


	11. Whether the Weather

**Rejection of the precious

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**Yes... an update. I don't believe it either.

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**Chapter eleven... Whether the Weather**

Gohan shuffled uncomfortably under the hot rays of the sun. For the last three days, the weather had been unbalanced and had been a mixture of rain, sun, wind and even sleet. He had no idea what time it was, but guessed it to be around mid afternoon. His dragon friend was off scavenging for food, and had left a while ago whilst the good weather lasted.

The only person he had ever spoken to in these passing months was the dragon. Considering the dragon wasn't a very good conversationalist, his world became that bit more anti-social. Time had shifted so slowly that the short time he had spent with his father before being isolated in the middle of nowhere became blurred, and he could not remember certain parts of conversations they had shared.

In fact, the only time Gohan could remember his father's face was when he glared at his own reflection in the nearby stream. His sharper eyes were just lifeless copies of his father's, and his hair had the same colour, wildness and liveliness. They even shared the same expression when angry –flushed cheeks, dark and violent eyes with teeth bearing.

Gohan wondered if they had the same smile or the same frown –or going as far as wondering when his father laughed properly, did he have a full and unembarrassed toothy grin like he once had?

He wondered so many things about this mysterious man. No human being was perfect, but Goku was constantly smiling _for _him, worrying _for _him –being there _for_ him. He was a totally selfless being.

It made Gohan's stomach churn.

It angered him that someone could be so wonderful. It annoyed him to the degree that he desperately wanted to see this man commit a selfish act, say something horrible. He wanted Goku to be a disgustingly bad person.

Of course, as much as he wanted this –it couldn't happen. It wasn't in Goku's nature to be nasty. He couldn't help what he wanted, though.

"_I want him... I want my GOKU!"_

Gohan shuddered, closing his eyes as he absorbed the heat from the flickering sun.

"_I need to see him before I die! Let me see him!"_

"_Ms. Chi-Chi, please don't shout. You're son is outside these doors, you don't want him to see you like this."_

But he had already seen everything.

"_My husband is a wonderful, wonderful man!" _

_Her eyes became distant and she stared at the wall in front of her like it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen in her life, still smiling. She was completely bald, bags were collecting under her dark eyes and she looked double her age._

"_My husband will save us, he always saves us."_

_The poor nurse could only smile reassuringly. A fake smile, of course. There was no hope._

"_Send my son in; I need to tell him that my husband is a hero!"_

Gohan exhaled a breath he forgot he took in. The dragon still wasn't back and the sun was disappearing behind grey clouds. Time was drawing on, and he couldn't wait forever for the dragon to get back. It looked like a storm was brewing –he couldn't risk staying longer.

Droplets of rain then made an appearance. It started off as trickles, and then turned into strong and heavy rain. Shelter was his only option. He knew that there was a close cave nearby. Gohan had been there previously at one point or another, exploring it and considering whether or not a dinosaur at once lived there. But it was empty now.

When he eventually found the cave after looking around endlessly in the area, thoughts of the dragon stayed with him as the only company he had was his own shadow, and the loneliness made him slightly on edge. On the way in, he managed to grab a few dry twigs and sticks he had already stored in case of foul weather, and gathered them into a pile. Minutes passed and a fire blazed in the once cold and damp cave.

Gohan was still alone, however.

"_I'm so lonely. I want him..." The groan was disturbing and lowered the atmosphere._

"_You're son, Ms Chi-Chi?" _

"_My _husband..._"_

Gohan didn't mind being lonely. It was far better than being desperate.

The fire continued to flicker and Gohan watched the flames, transfixed. Still no dragon. Gohan swallowed and wondered when he, himself, had last eaten. Perhaps it was sometime yesterday, back before the dragon had gone. On cue, his stomach released a faint growl in dissatisfaction. Eyes were torn away from the fire only to look outside to the worsening weather; there would be no animals to hunt now.

Months had dragged by now, and he had been alone for so long. Was this a punishment? He was sure his father could have done something to save him if he truly wanted to. Did he really want Gohan to suffer this much? In a way, he took a sick satisfaction to his father's actions. He had finally caught the man doing something which made him hurt, something which did not make him to be the god-sent man his mother had often talked about-

"_You'd love him, Gohan." His mother had hold of his hand, and he refused to ever let go. "He's such a wonderful person. Kind, considerate... strong."_

But if his father was so brilliant, then where was he?

_Kind_?

Did he come to her when she screamed out his name in her sleep?

_Considerate_?

Did he _consider _her when she was lonely, and Gohan couldn't fulfil her need of companionship?

_Strong_?

Did he appear there, beside her bed, when the last breath she drew was when she tried to utter his name one last time? Still desperate for him to be there. Not Gohan, her son, but him.

If this man, Goku, his father, some kind of God, was so wonderfully great, then where the hell was _he_?

The fire went out when a gust of wind managed to blow into the cave. The planks of wood he had been using as a door had fallen in defeat. The wind had been too strong and he had built his camp to close to the entrance of the cave. He was alone in the blackness and nothing but the rain hitting the ground outside could be heard. He was alone in the dark because he hadn't protected the fire properly.

...Had he protected her properly?

She was ill, in the body, in the mind, and in the heart.

"_You look just like my Goku, but you aren't him." _

He wasn't _him_. Gohan couldn't protect her, like _he _could.

"_You're not my Goku! Who are you? Get out! You demon! You're not my Goku! Where's my Goku?"_

"_Ms. Chi-Chi!" A nurse had exclaimed approaching both of them. Another nurse appeared and started tugging Gohan by the hand to leave._

_He eyes were frantic and Gohan could only stare at her with his innocence. _

"_Get my Goku, get rid of his imposter! I need him." She completely broke down. "I need my... Gok-u."_

_The doors closed behind Gohan and he could his mother's soft crying in the opposite room._

The dragon still wasn't back. How long had passed? An hour? Two? Maybe a minute for what the boy could tell. The rain was still going strong, however. Was that thunder he heard?

Gohan's cheek simply rested in waiting on the cave floor, dirt clearly evident on his pale skin. He had never been able to tan properly; he had always had his mother's creamy complexion. Paleness was maybe the only thing he had inherited from his mother. Everything else seemed to have come from his father.

Well, except from his brain.

He laughed dryly and quietly.

His father was not a bright bulb. His mother wasn't extremely clever, either. Neither was his grandfather –and he hadn't heard of any of his other relatives working as doctors, teachers, scientists and so on. He wondered where his own intelligence came from. Gohan could only manage to put it down to his mother's possessive studying. She had been frantic that he was to do something efficient with his life.

The only thing he was doing now was rotting in a dank cave.

... And that damn dragon still hadn't come back!

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**Well... it's been a while? Sorry! Though, I suppose 'sorry' doesn't quite make up for a YEAR's . **

**I finally wanted to get around to explaining why Gohan is so cold, harsh and nasty. I've had comments that he is OOC, too mature, too smart, ECT. Which are all very fair points. I'm trying to clear up why Gohan is a bit of an ass, and hopefully this chapter has cleared things up a little, despite it being quite short. **

**Good news, though, I suppose. A Hero's Time Warp has another chapter coming along. I've had a bad block with this chapter especially though, and that is why it is taking a while. It should be out soon-ish. **

**Well, thanks for the reviews, alerts, favs and all that jazz. Sorry for the wait for people who still actually read this story. Haha.  
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